Android slowly siphoning Apple’s coolness among students

Students are a key audience for both the Apple and the Android camp. That is why Apple uses its traditional tactic to get students hooked to its products – offering annual discounts, especially for freshmen who are entering new territory. While these young minds used to go totally gaga over Cupertino’s premium gadgets, telltale signs show a gradual shift towards the increasingly popular Google-backed operating system and its mobile devices.

ADVERTISEMENT

In separate interviews conducted by USA Today reporters Kenneth Rosen and Scott Martin, students and notable figures from academic institutions all over U.S. relay varying opinions, indicating that the iPhone no longer has its leading edge over Android competitors. For instance, University of California-Berkeley professor Richard Sloan states that, “my students are making me think that when the iPhone 6 comes out there’s going to be a lot less excitement.”

Naturally, others don’t feel the same way. iPhone 4S user Alex Cook still deems the iPhones to be used in great numbers at his academe, Georgia Southern University. Likewise, TeensTalkTech founder Eli Blumental says that “the iPhone is still on most teens’ lists for their next phone.” He is currently a student at The City University of New York.

But numbers don’t lie. USA Today has availed Survey Monkey to conduct a survey to American consumers, more than half of which are aged between 18 and 44. The result shows that 79% of opinions show a change in perception, that Android products have become “much cooler” these days. Furthermore, an August report by consumer research group Nielsen shows that slightly more than half of consumers across the country have bought an Android device last summer. Apple is now increasingly finding it difficult to differentiate its products and reach uber-coolness status, since most smartphones have adopted the same touchscreen form factor.

And just as with any product that has undergone many reiterations, despite all the enhancements in so many aspects, consumers inevitably suffer from the so-called “iPhone fatigue.” The lack of genuine innovation and spanking new features causes Apple’s smartphone to lose its forever fresh appeal. In other words, returning iPhone buyers are appreciating its device less and less, given that newer models are essentially offering the same features at their core. It’s one reason why many feel the need to change.

Currently, the iPhone and its iOS store enjoys one of the healthiest app ecosystems. However, it is an advantage Apple can no longer tout since the competing Google Play Store has just as much activity in its selection. With 700,000 apps available as of November, consumers no longer have good reason to shy away from Android when it comes to available and affordable choices of apps.

Yet another interesting thing to point out is the fact that students, and perhaps every American for this matter, prefer to support a fledgling company trying to beat the establishment. Apple used to be like that, when it previously challenged IBM and when it was underwhelmed by Microsoft and its Windows operating system. Not anymore.

Apple may have not totally lost its grasp among students, but its interest among students now involves simultaneous adoration and aversion.

The problem is Apple has become complacent with their position on the top. The iOS software looks essentially the same as it did when the first iPhone was released, with a slightly longer screen. I predict Apple will continue to lose market share until they release a real update to their products.

Randy “The Truth” Sylmar

By the way, Apple lost to Microsoft and Windows for the very same reason they are going down now, because they think they should control your price and choices. Microsoft is everywhere from business to students. Where Apple shines is towards enthusiasts in photo/video editing. However, the avid user knows that a shiny expensive Apple computer is no longer needed to do those things.

Which is why Apple is losing now. While the iPhone runs smooth and is waves ahead of Android in terms of optimized apps and a polished OS, they are slowly becoming the norm. Will they lose? No, and part of that is because Android has a long way to go. Android has lost in the tablet market and is being replaced by Windows 8/8 pro. Google needs to strongly start taking responsibility and stop relying on 3rd party accessories, and low quality equivalent apps. They need to invest in getting apps to be fully optimized and to have a bigger quality control department. Apple’s App store has a very strict app approval process when compared to the Playstore. Gameloft especially has been weak on their games ported from iOS to Android.

Google’s problems can be fixed. Before apps were decided based on the phone model you had, if your phone was dated and low spec’d then you couldn’t play a game. Now it’s all based on OS which is bad since developers now have to think about the lowest model running ICS or JB instead of tuning their games that can run on the latest flagship phones. It causes optimization problems where even the Nexus 4 is sluggish. But because Google doesn’t have more control and they rely on others you’re left with one of the fastest phones in the market that can’t run apps better than a dated iPhone 4s. While everyone is getting interested in Google, they have to really work on quality control and gain more control on their products Otherwise more manufacturers will start to drop them (i.e. HTC)

http://www.facebook.com/j.hamernickramseier John Hamernick-Ramseier

Android has not lost the tablet market with the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 they have made android tablet offerings more affordable and defiantly brought reliability to android tablets. (I would have agreed with you about the tablets had you posted this when 2.3 was relevant)

Randy Sylmar

After attending CES 2013, most if not all manufacturers have dropped Android OS on their tablets. Of course besides the major supporter like Samsung’s line which is pretty mediocre most of the tablets I saw were rocking windows 8 pro. AMD’s gaming tablet are all Windows 8, Razer’s choice is Windows 8 pro, Asus, and a lot more have dropped Android.

The only one that caught my eye was the tucked away Vizio tegra 4 tablet. It was a skinless Nexus 10 look-a-like. Even then Vizio tablet’s haven’t had the best reviews out there. Despite the Nexus 7 which is a godly tablet for it’s price, the Nexus 10 is having huge issues within itself whether it being not enough optimized apps given it’s display, major light bleed problems, and given all that the GPU is barely capable to push 1080p videos let alone 4k resolution videos.

If you are relying on the Nexus 7 to save it then yes but the iPad mini has already surpassed it. And like I said, CES 2013 was proof that Windows 8 is the newest desirable OS to use tablet wise.

Peterson Silva

I’m sorry, but CES is made by geeks for geeks. One can only say that “Windows 8 is the new desirable OS to use tablet wise” when consumers start actually desiring it.

Merle Reine

Are you kidding me? ipad’s 2 years ago had 95%+ of the tablet market. In just the last year, Android tablets have grown from nothing to 54% of the market while kicking ipad’s to 40% of the market. Microsoft based tablets are barely floating around 1 to 2% but decreasing. Android clearly has the tablet market sewn up as it grows in usage and the ipad’s shrink. Windows tablet’s at CES are only there because microsoft offered huge $$ for vendor’s to put on their hardware. For every 1 tablet with Windows on it, 20 Android tablets are hitting market and at 1/10th to 1/2 the cost for better hardware on Android. Android is not going anywhere except to the top like they did on phones. And yes, you can quote me on that.

Randy Sylmar

The iPad is still on top. The only reason the iPad has “dropped” in the market is because to this day the iPad 2 can run apps better than the latest Android tablet. Android has sprouted because of the Nexus 7/10. I have the iPad 4 and the Nexus 10 and Android has waaays to go in the tablet world.

Your motion that Microsoft is paying huge $$ for vendors? Like who? Windows 8 was everywhere and Microsoft was nowhere near CES. By the way 20 Android tablets? Maybe cheap chinese vendored android tablets. Flagship devices was a failed Galaxy Tab 2/Note II 10.1 and the Nexus 7/Nexus 10. Android OS tablets were scarce. Vizio was boasting about their high res tegra 4 tablet and no one cared. People want to defend android and like I said Android can make it but when you have killer hardware that doesn’t work with the software it’s a disappointment.

http://twitter.com/Mapiwethe Siphiwe

I’ve hated Apple ever since they sued Samsung, I lost all the love of their gadgets. This is music to my ears!

sam

I’ve been an android fan since the epic 4g. It’s about time that my peers caught up.

1ceTr0n

Ginger kid wants the others souls….

yungqb7

Well I still see plenty of iPhones around campus (mainly 4/4s). Most people are probably waiting for the 5s or the 6 to see if anything new pops up. The galaxy s3, note 2 do appear here and there though. Never was a fan of iOS, android pretty much gave me what I was looking for smartphone and for that I’m waiting on the gs4.

Merle Reine

ipad’s 2 years ago had 95%+ of the tablet market. In just the last year, Android tablets have grown from nothing to 54% of the market while kicking ipad’s to 40% of the market. Microsoft based tablets are barely floating around 1 to 2% but decreasing. Android clearly has the tablet market sewn up as it grows in usage and the ipad’s shrink. Windows tablet’s at CES are only there because microsoft offered huge $$ for vendor’s to put on their hardware. For every 1 tablet with Windows on it, 20 Android tablets are hitting market and at 1/10th to 1/2 the cost for better hardware on Android. Android is not going anywhere except to the top like they did on phones. And yes, you can quote me on that.

http://www.facebook.com/coop.anderson.794 Coop Anderson

Two sporty looking tablets launched this week – the Novo 7 Venus – which offers pretty much the same specs as the Nexus 7 but only priced at $139 — and the Novo 9 Spark – a 9.4 ” Quad Core Android tablet with a Retina Display and packed with a powerful 10,000 mAh battery 16GB/2GB, Android 4.1 & Google PlayStore Installed, 5MP Front & Back Cameras, HDMI with 4K output and much more for about $269 at a site called TabletSprint – very comparable to an iPad and Nexus 10 for a lot less — and worth checking out and comparing…